#102 – In Defense of the Power Clean with Dr. Sully

27 Aug #102 – In Defense of the Power Clean with Dr. Sully

We talk about the Big 4 lifts all the time, but Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition covers five lifts, the fifth being, of course, the Power Clean. The Power Clean is the only lift in the basic Starting Strength repertoire that trains a lifter’s power, or their ability to recruit strength quickly. Power is essential to most sports and athletic endeavors, and thus is very important for the developing athlete.

Lately the Power Clean has become Starting Strength red-headed stepchild of the main lifts, however, as the appeal of strength training has skewed toward the general population who may have no inclination for sports and older lifters for whom the drawbacks of training the clean outweigh the benefits. Matt and Scott themselves criticized the inclusion of the power clean in the Starting Strength seminar, questioning whether it is a productive use of time in an already-lengthy event.

As the Power Clean reaches it’s nadir, one coach passionately defends its worth and makes a case for its inclusion in the program of young athlete and general fitness trainees alike. Dr. Jonathon Sullivan returns to the show today to make a case for the power clean.